Vending machine



Marh 12, 1929. L. c. MANNING l 1,705,259

l' VENDING MACHINE Filed Nov. 5, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY lwardll2, 1929; L Q'MANNING 1,705,259

VENDI NG NACHI NE INVENTOR March l2, 1929. L. c. MANNING 1,705,259

VENDING MACHINE Filed Nov. 5, 1925 4 sheets-sheet 4 INVENToR We. 75

TTonNEY fic Patented Mar. l2, i929.

Unirse .sra-ras I 1,705,259 rarest et-Fics.

LANDON c. Mannino, or NEW YORK, n. Y., Assienoza ro rack sirops, me.,or, NEW

Yoan, N. Y., A eoaromifrroir or new YORK.

vENnNG Maennvn.

Application filed November The invention relates in general to a coincontrolled, manually actuated vending` inachine of the type intended toruse in vending ditlerent 'articles et' manufacture andthe inventionspecilically relates to a replaceable mechanical unit constituting oneof a plurality olz such units installed in the complete machine, andcomprisingthe coin controlled package ejecting features ot such unit.`

More delinitely classified, 'the invention relates to the packageejecting leatures oi Va standardized unit intended to be assembled in acasing with other similar units to iiorm a composite vending; machinecapable oi storing` and discharging articles of dii'iierent outlines anddimensions, and with the several articles vended solely by. theinsertion into the associated coin slot oi' the appropriate dimension ofcoin intended tor that particular unit.

In such forms of vending machine, it is required at present to constructrthe packagehandling mechanisn'is of such size so as to handle somelparticular size ot package `and when completed the mechanism of courseyannot be used to handle'a diilerent size package nor a package intendedto Asell at a diil'erent price. In attemptingY to maintain an automaticselling service, -it is required that the assortment oil? merchandiseappropriated to any )ne particular machine .be changed frequently tomeet the current demands 'for certain groups oit articles.

riccordingly the primary object-ot the vinvention to provide asimplil'ied forni ot' multiple article vending;` machine whif; `r-Iillinclude a plurality ot standar lined lrinus ott vending mechanisms, onelttor each et d i. ene ai 'rieles vended. and r`each of which unitswillhe characterized by an adaptabilty*toy modity the same easilytoaccomniodatea different size article and to be controlled by a differentdimension oi unlocking coin.

This phase oit the invention is attained by making` the parts toi-mingthe paclnigercsei'- voir and the coin chute ci replaceable elementswhich can be manufactured in sets of ditlierent sizes and carried as.replacement parts by theielilling agent in *ma-king his rounds.v l

Should it be desired to discontinue. any one article and replace thesame by a clitlerent size orprice article the eilierremoves thenuuit asa. 'Whole from the casing and re 1 c i L. pl he same er ne maysimplysuliiatitnta 5,. i925; seriaino. 66,906.

'for the old lreservoir or coin chute, or both, a proper size element tovend the substituted article.

Vending machines .Ot the class under -discussion vare requentlysubjected to rough usage in attempts to cause them to discharge packagesillegally and particularly Where bulky articles are to be vended thereis the necessity vof utilizing` rugged and massive machine parts togive'the requisite strength. In machines intended 'i'or vending `smallpackages such as chewing gum, chocolate and the like, the inserted coinWasinade to form a connecting. element of ,the ejecting kechanismy andywas theretorexrequired to transmit therethrough `strains from themanually actuated handle to the package to be ejected. While this`Worked* satisfactorily where small light articles are to be moved, itWas not 'found practical in handlingheavy articles to dencnd on kthecoin .to ltransmit the L I necessary ejeetmg force.

ificcordingly the invention has for another object the providing of. acom Acontrolled ejecting mechanism which can be made -as vstrong asrequired; Which Will Iprovide a direct transterence.ofV :torce from thehandle to the ejector acting on thevended package through mechanicalparts particularly 1ntended and designed` tor this purpose, and Q Whichdoes 4not depend on the kcoin as any part of the strain transmittingmechanism. This phase of the invention isattained by utiliziifiglthecoin simply asa key 'for vshiftj ing a light easily moved ylatch memberinto position `to connect vthe handle ydirectly with the ejectormechanism and thus permit the handle to act directly through'appropriately designed connecting mechanism and force the ejector on itsactuating,Y stroke independont ot' thesubsequent presence ot' the coi-nin Ythe mechanism. Y

. rvAnother object .ot the invention is to provide a form et trainewhich in addition to its function ot" supporting); the coin controlledvejecting` mechanism will be formed' in part 'by replaceable elementsdesigned to be substi-Y tuted. by lother-sin'iilar but different sizeelerments thereby to provide-lor the vending of dil'erentsize packagesby a standard size of coin .controlfinechanism. V y l n Anotherobject otVthe invention is ato pror ha readily replaceable 'form of coin chutewhich/ca be substituted for .other sinned chutes thereby toe ejectingmechanisms by coins of various dimensions, whereby, a standard form ofejecting mechanism may he utilized for vending articles at differentprices.

Another difficulty which presents itself when it is attempted to vendheavy, bulky articles from a reservoir stack of such articles, is thatany ejccting mechanism after it has functioned to discharge thelowermost package from the stack is retarded, if not entirely1prevented, from retreating back to its initial position due to thenecessity of moving against the resistance of the entire weight ofthepackages remaining in the stack, and this is especially true where apivotally mounted ejector in describing its usual arc of movement mustlift the entire bulk of packages.

Accoriilingly, another object ofthe invention is to provide a simpleform of ejector mechanism which can function on both its actuatingstroke and on its 'return to normal stroke substantiaily independent ofany necessity of lifting the articles ren'iaining in the stack and whichtherefore can be constructed of light weight as it is not required totransmit any strains except that necessary to eject the single vendedpackage and this he attained almost without regard to the mass of themerchandise in the reservoir stack.

Another object of the invention is to provide for an easily manipulatedadjustment of the discharge passageway so that the apparatus may bereadily adjusted' to accommodate the standard unit to of variableheights,

The invention also features a form of'platform for accommodatingthepackages in the stack and which platform may be of a dimension.materially less than the area of the supported package. l/Vith such a.form of limited area platform it is possible to economize Ain the spacenecessary to provide sutiicientV clearance for the discharged packageand the allover dimensions of the unit or multiples of the unit may heconfined to a minimum. Here again is featured economy in spa-cedisposition.

This phase of the invention is attained in one embodiment of oneinvention by providinga bottom to the reservoir of less than one half ofthe width of the in the direction in which it is to be ejected. T heweight of the superposed packages apparently holds the iowerniost bottomor ledge until the ejccting mechanism acts positively to movethepackagefrom-its position iirlampcd between the upper packages and thebottom or ledge.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in partobvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in partwillbe more fully set forth in the following particular description of oneferm of device embodying .my invention, and the vend packages jmckage,measured 7 package on the invention also consists in certain new andnovel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter vsetforth and j claimed;

j right hand side and with the front supporting plate removed;

Figure 4 is a plan view lookingI down upon the showing in the precedingfigures;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view showing part of the ejector mechanisminside elevation;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view of part of the coin chute with the coverplate of Figure l removed; V

Figure 7 is a view in rear end elevation of the form of ejectormechanism taken from the left Yhand side of Figure Aand showing the cjector in operative Vposition Figure 8 is a similar view of a modifiedform of ejector and tipping bottom for the package reservoir; and

Figure 9 is a similar view of still another modified form of ejectormechanism. V

In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identifiedby specific names for convenience of expression but they are intended tobe as generic in their application to similar parts as the art willpermit.

In the drawings there isk shown a front plate 10 constituting part of acasing of a multiple article vending machine and which casing formed ofsaid front plates disposed side by side and with their flanged edgescontacting encloses a plurality of the units hereinafter described.rthis casing as a whole is disclosed. and claimed in acompanionapplication entitled Vending machine casing7 filed November 27,1925, `Serial No. TLQ). The'i'nechanism herein disclosed constitutes acompl-ete article of manufacture which can be mounted as a readilyreplaceable unit on any of the separate front plates which coact to formthe casing of the complete machine.

The mechanical parts herein disclosed are themselves assembled a unitand secured to the front sectional plate l() by screws il passed throughapertures l2 and accessible CII lll)

from the rear side of the rising This mechanism unit'isA mounted in aframe indicated generally by the reference character 13 and includes arugged, flat main plate 14 extending` vertically and projectingrearwardly from the front plate l0. The front edge of the plate 14 isflanged to provide a verticaily 23 deine. the insin px Aably secured tothe rear edgeof ate 14, by a clainp 24 and an outstanding 'front 'flange25 secured by screws to the liront plate 10. A lug projecting laterallytroni the plate adjacent its 'lront end provides a support Vlfor one oithe rods 2O which constitute a lront receptacle outlining rod. rlhe flatplate 14 and the Z-plate 22 coact to forni the lower portion oi thereser voir and deitine the size and coniiguration of the horizontalcross sectional area oit the coinplete reservoir. lt is understood thatthe top oi' the rods 2O are secured in place to coinplct-e .thereservoir by ineans niore il'ully dis-- closed in the companionapplication above identified. Froin this construction it is appreciatedthat it is .possible siinply by substituting jforthe plate 22anothersize plate with diii'ereiitly located apertuies for the rods adijllerent size of reservoir n'iay be provided. rIhis substitution isfacilitated by the use of a readily manipulated and reinovable i'orin otclainp 24 Jfor the rear end of the replaceable receptacle forming plate22.

For the purpose ot giving strength to the Z-plate 2217 perinit the useoi a thin gage inetal an d at the saine tiine to provide rugged socketsfor receiving the lower-'ends of the-rods 20, ilat bracing plates 27 aresecured, preferably byr welding or abrasion, to the sides ot the plate22.

plate 29 is secured to the :unit 'ornied by therear plate 30 and by theedge strips 31 by screws 32 passed therethrough and extending into theinain plate 14 (see Figure 1). Beierring particularly to Figure 6 .itwill be noted the edge strips and a centrally disposed strip liorining apartition 33 forni a shaped coin passageway. This Apassageway includes aslightly inclined incoming coin channel Y4' open at its upper, receivingend to a vertically extending coin slot rin the 'iront plate 10. r:lhecoin receiving portion 34 of the coin slot is L-shapedandatits lower endis outlined rlhe other rods are carried Yby a Z-shaped plate 22 whichhas a rear flange on one side by horse-shoe forni of permanent niagnet35 which `iills a Vcutoutopening 37 in therside oi' the trontp'late 29.rlhe magnet is secured in vpiace by lscrew 38 passed through the coinchiite 28'and into the inain plate 14. The open space between the legsofthe inagnet is filled with a linger of non-inagnetic inat-erial whichniay be in the foi-in of a linger '39 ornied by parallel slits in theside 38 and bent therefrom so as to close completely the opening 37.'The magnet is positioned above the rear coin passageway 40 which con-Vstitutes one of a pairot vertically extending p assageways iitoi'ii'iedby the partitionf; the other forwardly disposed passageway 41being hereinafter referred tejas a slug chute. The passageways 40 and 41are opened at the bottoni of the coin chute through a slug dischargingport 42 arranged to coact with ports not herein shown to discharge slugsS from the i'i'iachine back to the operator throughthe packagedischarging opening -usual in such constructions,A and one forni ojlfwhich is ldisclosed in the above identified.co-pending ap-v plication.`

fully disclosed. The ejector acts vduring the initial part of itsoperation to litt the coin ed" the seat and start the saine rolling downthe incline 47 provided by the upper edge ofthe Y Y Y o0` @ne oi theedge strips 43 at tliebottoinoi1 a spacing strip 43. From` the upperedge 47 the coin is discharged through the port 44 into a coinreceptacle (not shown).

yThe coin ejector 46 is at the end of a circuinferenti ally 'extendingilange or tin ger 47 forining part of a manually actuated roin` controlwheel 48 pivotally mounted on a pin 49`eX- tending through a hub 50'forn'iing partei the wheel..A The wheel and. assoc'ated parts are 29.The wheel is also providedat its upper portion with a slug ejector 51extending clockwise from a rearwardly extending arm 52 of the wheel anddisposed, when the wheel is rotated clockwise, to engage any slug Swhich niay be held by the inagnet 3G.' (See Figure 6.) The slug ejectoracts to nieve the slug away roin the inagnet forwardly andperinitsvreadily deinountable with the Jfront coin plate V the saine to 'tallthrough the pas, eway 41r and opening 42 to be returned to the operatoras previously suggested and as shown in the succeeding dotted linepositions in Figure 6.

' The wheel and of the slu g witliit'its coin and slug.

ej ecters is norinally held in its inoperative p0` sition to receive thecoin or slugs by a long spring 53, the lower end ,of which is secured byineens or apin .54 kthe :outside of :the

wheel and the upperI end is secured in lixed position by means of a pin55 projecting laterally from 'the upper end of the main plate 14C. Thewheel is provided with a forwardly eX- tending slot 57 in the frontplate l0 and terminates in a ball 58 constituting` a manually actuatedhandle.

It is desirable in devices of this character when the actuhting handlehas been started on its actuating movement that theV stroke be completedbefore the actuating mechanism is A permitted to return to. its initialposition. For this purpose there mounted on the outer side of the wheellil a two-sided double ratchet bar 59 extending coucentrically of theaxis of rotation of the wheel. The teeth on opposite sides of thisbarare disposed in opposite libV directions withthc teeth GO forming theupper or outer rack having their square slimilderj portions facingupwardly and the teeth forming the lower or inner rack (il having theirshoulder portions facing downwardly. Both sets of ratchet teeth aredesigned to be engaged by a ratchet pin 62 constituting a'pawl carriedat the upper end of a pawl lever 63 fixed to a shaft Gil pivotallymounted in a sleeve 65 carried by land projecting laterally from themain plate lll.

The pin 62 is normally held in iosition in a line .centered between thetwo toothed rack surfaces 59 and 60 as shown in flfigure l. This isattained by means of a long, flat spring 66 (see Figure 5) which has itslower end sety into and extending diametrically through the shaft 64-and with its upper end extending hetween a pair of stop pins 67 and 68;ln this *ay the pawl. pin 62 is held by the spring 66 in operativeengagement with every one of the racks which .it mayv be facing wheneverthe wheel .is moved from its normal inopera-v tive position. l From thisVconstruction it will be understood that when. the rack bar 59 is in itseleval'ed. position as shown in Figure l. the rack as a whole will bepositioned above the pin (S2. .as the handle 58 is lowered the rack is'arricd downwardly with the pin riding idly Von the teeth formingthe.upper rack (l0 but should. an attempt be made to cause a retreatupwardly of the wheel, the pin would be cngagcdhy the upwardly facingshoulders and any further movement would 'be prevented by the engagementof the shoulders of the tooth `with the ratchet pin 62. lWhen theratchet bar 59 has reached. the end of its lowered movement the pawl pin62 will be swung by thc spring (i6 over the'top of the upper. pointedend of the bar and while the wheel is being returned under tension ofthe spring 53 .tuch niovement cannot be intercepted by `anattcmpt tomove handle 58 downwardly due to the engagement of the ratchet pin 52with the shoulders upwardly facing on the upper eide of the rack.

plate which projects through a lever ually actuated vplate 9econstituting an apturnci :u

vPositioned in the path of the coin C it is'lift'ed from `its seat l5 bythe ejector a6 is the reduced end. (Si) of a latch lever 70, which endprojects laterally through an aperture 7l see Figures l and tl) formedin the coin chute. The lever constitutes a. control for setting thepackage ejecting mechanism and is pivotally mounted midway of its endson a pivot pin T2, pivo'ta-lly mounted ron a swinging plate 73 formingpart of a frame constituting a package ejector 7l. The pack` age ejectoris rotatably mounted upon a shaft 75 mounted in the frame of the machinedirectly below the package receptacle. The package ejector normally heldwith its upper end in engagement with the main plate 14. by means of aspringflb coiled about one of the spacingsleeves 77 on the shaft T5 withone end of a spring underlapping the plate la and the other end 75l ofthe spring beari .D the rear side of the plate 73. A relatively weakspring 79 between the lever 70 and the plate 73 acts normally on thelever to position theend (Si) thereof in the path of movement of theupper edge of the coin and toraise the opposite end 79. Normally thisopposite end will be thus raised out of the path of movement of ahook-shaped lever 80, hereinafter referred to as a power memberrotatably mounted on the shaft 75.V rl`he lever 80 is swung on its arcofmovement normally past the end T9 but into engagement with this end 79when the same has been lowered by the presence of the coin lifting theend 69. The lever 80 is at all times connected to the manwheel. This isattained through the agency of a link rod 8l, the upper end of whichis'pivotally connected. by means of a pin 82 carried by an outstandinglinger B3 projecting laterally from an arc-shaped flange 8.4. formingpart of the wheel 48. This flange 84 constitutes a curved closuredisposed concentric of the axis of the wheel for cover ing the slot inthe plate l() through whichthe handle plate 56 projects. The lower endof the rod is pivotally.connected by .means of a. pin 85 with a leverarni 86 projecting from the shaft 75. Preferably the connection loetweenthe lever 85 and the shaft made adjustable and for this purpose thelever is provided at .its lower end with aslot S7 enlarged at its lowerend (shown in Figure 3) to profvifde abifurcated end straddling theshaf"7 75.

The lever 86 is secured in its longitudinally adjusted position relativeto the shaft by means of a am nut S8 screwed into a. segment plate 89secured to the'shaft l' To limit the movement of the power lever 8O intoits normal vinoperative. position (shown in Figure 3) an L-shaped stop9() is rotatablyniounted onthe shaft `75 and .is secured to the segmentplate 89 by means of a.

pair of set screws 91 and 92. The flange oer-l tion 93 of tliestep Q0overlaps the edge "l lOll Ll l) the shaft T5. as a center;

the ejector plate Z3l to limit the retreat of the Figures 5 an the z ofthe shaft 75 and past the three tired ieet 915, Sii-and 98 constitutingthe bottoni ofj the package` reservoir 21. These feet torni in eli'ect asingle flat ler ge horizontally ydisposed anddesigivd to support thepackages iu the reservoir. These feet are Lspz'icedapart to permit themovement therepast of a pair oiejector arms 99 and 100 swinging aboutThe arms are each ni'ade up ot apair of parallelfplates 101 and 102 withtheir lower ends bi'urcated as shown at 103 in Figure 7 and with theirupper ends connected by a roller 1.011 mounted onacoiinec-ting pin 105and constituting the element designed to engage the package to fbevencled as shown in F igure 7; 1 The ejector arms 99 and 100 aresupported by means of a rocking shalt 106 suspended at opposite en dstroni hanging arms 107 and 108, the upper ends or which are pivotallyconnected by means oit pins 109 to depending Ilianges 110` forming partet the end feet 96 and 98. The hanging ai'uis 107 and103 are soproportioned that whenv the ejectiiig mechanism is operatedthe rollers1041 will not describe an a-ic of inovement concentric of the axis 75 asis usual in such constructions, butv will niove horizontall in itsiackae e"ectin"inovenient as iii-.jv

l C3 b dicated in Figure T and will eject the loweini-ost packagelit'roin the stack of packages moving in a substantially straight line'beneath the next adjacent lowerniost package. i 's a feature oi this'disclosure that the rollers in ejectiiig a package from the stack havea straightlinear nioveinent across the top of the 'supiior toi-ming thebottoinroi. the.

receptacle and do not raise above thebottoin-` 'ay the ej ectiiigmechanism is not re:- quired 'to litt vthe mass of unvende'dpackages inthe stack.

TWhile the 'fori ii of ej ec'iing i'iiechanisin thus f described inconnection with Figures k and works withentire satisfaction especiallyin connection with small and light weight packai itis noted from theshowino in Fioure l l n to i that the entire weight ot the supei-posedpackag mythe roller 104i; This tends to prevent the retreat-oit theejecting mechanism', and if the e y a powerful spring woiildjhave. to beused to overcoinethe vresulting rictional resistance to the retreatingmovement `Aoie., the" rollers after it has functioned to eject thepreceding packagea Even then a forceful retreat oi" the part of thelejecting mechanism engagino: the packages is very apt to injure theii'iaining in the reservoir ispressy packages in the reservoir happen tobe heavy,

iiied forni shown'in Figure SA an yarrangeii'ient of tipping bottoni forthe reservoir designed to provide for a movement et the eject'ing`niechanisin of less,extent:than is'ii-ecessary with the i'forin sliowiiii'iFigure 7', and in which the discharging end of the support is arrangd to tip down and-thus permit the partially ejected package to drop outratherthan be pushed entirely'out-ot the stack.` For this purpose theledges forming the bottom of the reservoir and corresponding to the feet96., 9? and 9S, areeachfornied of two parts, an iniier l'iix'edL-platev110 to the-outer edge' of which 'is pivoted, by' means oi? depending lug111., an outer-di'opplate 112 to toi-in a tipping platform defining thedischarge end of the chute bottoni.` The three sets o'll the tivolilates 110 and 112coact normali 4to form a fixed lhorizontal supper-ttorthe stack of,`

packagesin the reservoir as shown in Figurel 8. The plate 112 isconnectedby iiieans of a rod 113 rwftli an arm 1111 Jorn'iing an eX-tension from the hook-shaped lever 80 so that in the 'torni showninFigure 8, the lever 80 constitutes a bell-crank lever supported on.

the shaft .75. From this construction' it is seen that the lever 8,0 isactuated to causeV Y the ej ect-ing n'iechanisni to function it willtowards the end of its ej ecting action cause theouter portion 'of thestack support to tip the forni ol au' ci-ehapedk pusher plate *115`pivoted on a pin 11G connecting,thearins 101 1 and 102 and which pintakes'the place of the roller carrying pin'105.,l 2 l In the inodilie'dshowing in Figure 8 the 'reet 96, 97 and 98 are connected to forinthehorizontal'ledge 117 as a single' plate from fthe underside of which`jtlielia'iigei's-107 may be suspended; The rear part ot this ledge 11'!"is'broken away to lprovidea recess opening 118`or receiving thepuslierl115a's it ije-j; Vturnedin its normal inoperative position'shown in Figure 8. Thepusher includes a short upstan'ding lip119jhavingaf length from its axisof 'rotationjso as toextendv a" as indicated bythe arrow at the rightof Fig-V f short distance below the top otthelowerinost' package inthe stack. The other aiin lbeing -longer thanthe lip"119 normally dependsffronitlie pivot pin 116'and is soineivliatU-shaped to `torina spacer about the l,depth oi the thickness o'l" thepackage being" veiided.

The end of this arni 120 is'disposed'so that it engagesthe side of themain plate l-tas shown .l in Figure S and thus causes the'lip119tostand' vertically inthe rear of thestack oit packages whenin-its'rearinostv position. During the ejecting operation the' a`r`in120isV tripped vby its engagement with the fici-ward edge of' the vrecess118 and the arin120ris held infpositionv for covering the coin slot inthe plate v10.`

' VThelever isV held normally in inoperative po- "sition uncoveringtheport by means of a package while being ejected ot' about one lia,li"',

j so' from the stack.

coiled spring 124i and a stop 125 limits the movement ot the lever underthe tension oi" this spring. The lever 121 .is also .provided with anoil-standing linger iQGwhich is designed to be'engaged by a' pin 12Tprojecting from one side oi a weight 12S resting on topl oi' the stackof packages in the reservoir and designed so that when the reservoir isemp tied of its packages the pin will engage the linger and shift thelever into position closing the coin slot. The lower end of the leverllis provided with an offset extension 125) disposed in the path ofmovement of the curved face plate Sil; forming'part ot the manuallyactuated control wheel 48 so that at each actin ation ot the handle 58the coin slot is autoan atically closed.

The opening in the lower end ot one side ot the package reservoir ismade adjustable soV as to accommodate the same to the vertical depth ofthe variable size packages which the machine is to vend. For thispurpose a plate 130 is disposed so that its lower edge 131 deiines theupper edge ot' the opening. The

plate is secured Vin its adjusted positionv byV means of set screws132.'

In the showing in Figure 9 the bottom support for the packages in thereservoir is-provided by a horizontal ledge 117 having a width in thedirection of movement of the or less, the corresponding width 'oftliepaclc` age;V lt is appreciatedthat the weight ot the packagessuperposcd on the lowerinost Packn age acts tohold the lowermost packagefrom tipping on" the ledge.

In this instance the package engaging elel ment dilers from both therollers 101il and the pusher 'plate' 115V in that it. a normallyupstanding weighted platev 133y pivoted on pins 134 to the upper edgeofthe platet. The axis of rotation provided by the pins 12H ispositioned to Aswingbelow the ledge lll.

From this construction it is apparent that on' its ejecting stroke theupper edge 1.35 'ot the pusher plate 133 actsto push the most packagelaterally in. the direc its unsupported part and unbala same so thatihepackage freely escun @n the return stroke tl, plate is free to swing onis anis so that the, upper edge scrapes along" 'the underside ofthenextlowermostpackage until n of lowers nce the j ago reservoir7 an ejcctingmechanism includ- Yit clears this package when it is free to swing byvirtue of its lower weighted end 136 into vertical position back of thestack. li', for any reason, it should tend to stick in' its cantedposition the movement thereof into engagement withthe,support wouldcause it to assume its normal position in position to eject the nextpackage. Y Havingv thus described my invention, I clai1n:- V

1.. ln a vending machine', the combination of a plurality otsimilanunits coacting to provide a multiple article vending machine,each unit including a liront plate constituting a part ot the casing ofthe complete machine and outlined at opposite vertical edges withinturned flanges adapted to contact with the similar' il anges ot the'liront plates of the next adjacent unit oi" units, a. lmechanical unitmountedat the rear side of the front plate7 screws accessible VVfrom therear side ofthe front plate tor dcmountably securing the unit to thefront plate', 'said unit includinga package ejecting mechanism.

2. ln a vending machine, a mechanism cong taining trame including avertically disposed main platerprovidcd with means at its front ond torn'xounting the same to a support, a package ejecting mechanism carriedbythe main plate7 a 7-plate coacting with the main plate to torni thelower portion of a package containing reservoir, reservoir forming rodscarried by the main plate and Z-plate and a clamp for securing theplate. f

` 3, ln a vending machine, a mechanism containing a 'trame includingavertically disposed main plate provided with means at itsgtrout end tormounting `the same to a support. a package ejecting mechanism carried bythe main plate, a Z-plate coacting with the main plate to torni lthelower portion of a package containing reservoir, and rods carried by theZ-plate and enacting with tho `main plate to providefihe upper portionof adapted to coiistitutethe bottom of a package j reservoir, and ancjecting mechanism including an upwardly extending rocking arm po'sitioued `bent` th the ledge and having its on the ledge. and guidei'lthereon to have a straigl'it linear n'iovemeiit across the top of thcfiat support. f

y ending at all times above the- .su;port,a package engaging memberpivoted to said projecting upper end, supported ln a vending machine,the combination ol a package support coi'istituting a [lat ledge adapted4toconstitute the bottom ot a packing hanger pivoted at its upper end tothe support.; rocking arms supported bythe hangg'cr and projecting.above the support,

anda packagccjector ypivoted vto the upper Cil 1,705,259 j v '7y ends ofthe arms and at all times having a straight linear,` movement across thetop of the tlat support, and pivotally mounted means acting on thelineally moving ejector tor actuating the same. f

(i. In a vending machine, the combination o'i' means forming avertically disposed package containing reservoir, a horizontal supportforming the bottom thereof, Van ejector mounted to move straight acrosssaid sup port to eject the lowermost package in the reservoir andprovided with a smooth side torl pivotal connection between said elementand the ejector, and means for confining the movement et said pivotalconnection to a straight line above and parallel to the support when theejector mechanism is swung into op rative position about its axis.

j 8. Ina vending machine, the combination ot a shaft, an ejectingmechanism including a plate rockably mounted on the shaft and having alimited movementlongitudinally relative to said shaift, means `forswinging the plate, an ejector arm lcarried by the plate free to moverelative thereto and provided with means 'for engaging the package to bevended, and means for causing said package engaging means to move in avstraight lineas the plate is rocked about the axis oi the shaft.

9. In a vending machine, the combination eta plate mounted for swingingmovement ahoutan axis ,ot rotatiomanjejecting arm slidably guided torreciprocatory, longitudinalmovemeut on said plate, a lip pivote'd'to oneend of the arm, and linkage operatively connected to the arm to causethe same to:y

move bodily along the straight line as the plate is rocked about'saidaxis.

V10. In a vending machine, he combination of a plate mounted forswinging movementabout an axis et rotation,,hangers for supporting saidplate," an eject-ing arm moiinted on said plate and free to morelongitudinal.- ly relative thereto, ,a pivoted lip carried by one end ofthe arm, linkage operatively connected to the arm toy cause the lip tomove bodily along` ay straight line as theplateis rocked about saidaxis, and a `spring acting on the plate to return the saine and the lipto a normal inoperative position when 'free et restraint. I Y Y 1i. In avending` machine, means forminga package reservoir, a bottom 'thereto-rcomlprising alixed support-and., tippingfplatform pivotedio one side edje thereot, and ejecting mechanism orvshitingthe lower- .mostpackagefrom the bottom towards the tippingplatform; j j v j j In a vendingmachine, means :Forming I e reservoir, abottom therei"Y r comiprisinw a.lfixed support and a ipping plat- 4term pivotedonevsifletherefor,rejecting. mechanism for shitting the lowermostpackage from the bottom towards the tipping piattorm, and lconnecting`means between lthe ejectin e' mechanism and vthe pl attorin to ea use'the si ne to tilt incidental to the ejection ot the package from thebottom, f l

i3. In a, vendiV` machine, `he combination et a lined package Yoir., anormally fixed support tor the packa s in said reiiervoir, and in ialiyactuated l ously p ng the .,.owermost package outoi said supjiiort ardfor causin said support to` tilt and 'thus isist in remota g saidpackage.

lil. Ina package vending machine, a package supporting means includingalinedledgev and a pivot-ally iuounteddrop plate, a pack- `agepushingdevice torslirtting ai packa ott" 2"3, i Y, i j.. 1 lue lined yledgetoviards tue erop plate and means connected with said pushing device torcontre-ll ingfthe drop plate. Y

l5. ln a vending macl ine, the combinati-on means tor simultane-lv sie.`

eta package supjiiort, a jiivetally mouted S- f sha )ed iackae'e pusherat all times )ositionedr above the top et the package support anddisposed in its movement in one direction 'tor shitting the package oli'saidvt-sujiport, means operatively connected to saidv pusher 'forshitting `the sainealon the `top oit said support and said piiishertoswing it in` one di-rectionv about itsv pivotal mounting` while inen-v`los' gagen'ient with said top of the support.

le. In a vending machine, the combination ot means forming a packaggereservoir, nieans j orming a bottom lior the same andincluding atiltingpackage discharging port, ejecting means, for' discharging tromthe bottonijthe lowermost package ot the stack and 'forpreventingthe'ifalling on to the'bottomofthe i next-succeeding packageotthe stackandv m'anuallv vactuated meansv operatively connectedtoboththe` ejecting means an "to ,the

tiltingpartei: the bottom to cause the same to function in unison.` f fl l f 17. In a vending machine, the combination et means forming apackage res rvoir, means -orming a bottom for the same and including atilting package discharging port, ejecting means tor discharging i'romthe bottom.' the lowermost package ofthe stack and for preventing theJfallingY on to thev 'bottom of the nent succeeding package of thestack, manually actuated means ,operatively connected `te both the`ejectingm'eans and to the tilting izoY partei?y the bottom to causethesame to func'- f tion in unison, and means acting onine ejee ,r

and tiltingbottomto restore the same to their j 8 u c p 1,705,259

normal positions when free of the restraint from the manually actuatedmeans.

18. In a vending machine, the combination of means forming a packagereservoir including a bottom plate, a shaft, an ejecting niechanisinincluding a pair of arms having bifurcated ends straddling said shaft, apusher pivotally mounted between the arms, means for suspending the armsand manually actuated mechanism operatively connected to said ejectingmechanism to cause the pusher to move in a straightliiie along the topof said bottom plate.

19. ln a vending machine, the combination ot' means forming a, packagereservoir including a bottom forming member,reciprocating means-movableback and forth across the top of said bottom member in one direction toeject the lowermost package in the reservoir and in the other directionto retreat into its normal inoperative position, said moans includingpivotally n'iounted package ejectiiig pusher plate sliding on the bottommember and disposed during its package ejecting movement to preventthepremature falling of the nextpackage on to the bottom member prior tothe retreat of the ejecting means.`

20. In a vending machine, the combination of means forming a packagereservoir including a bot-tom forming member, reciprocating meansremovable back and'iiortli across the top of said bottom member iii onedirection to eject the lowermost package in the reservoir and in theother direction to retreat intoits; i 1 normal inoperative position,said means including a pivotally mounted S-sliaped pusher plate, slidingalong the top of saidbottom i during its package ejecting movement andacting to prevent the premature falling oi' the next package on to thebottom member prior to the retreat of the l'ejecting means, and meanscontrolled by the return to normal of said ejecting means tor permittingthe nent succeeding packageY to fall into'position on the bottom memberin advance of the eject-y ing means.

. 2l. ln a vendingmacliine, theconiliination dotmeans .forming thebottom/oi: apackagc reservoir, ejecting mechanism including` a `swingingtrame, Vsaid frame including an S-shaped pusher pivotally mounted.intermediate its ends and moved on the actuation of the ejectingmechanism across the top of the bottoni to egect the package in thebottom, and

n means controlled by the position ol the ejecting mechanism relative-to the bottoml 'for tripping the S-pusher into and out oit itsoperativeposition.'

22. In a vending machine, the combination of means forming the bottom oia package reservoir, ejecting mechanism including a swinging frame, saidtrame including an S-shaped pusher pivotally mounted andV moved on theactuation ot' the ejecting 'mechanism across the top of the bottom toeject the package inthe bottom', said pusher including a normallyupstanding relatively shortilip i'or engaging the package to be ejectedand also including a somewhat bisliaped spacer for supporting spacedabove the bottom the stack 'of packages above the package being vended.i

28. ln'a vending machine, the combination of a package receptacleiiroviiled with a discharge opening, ejecting mechanism tor dischargingpackages from the receptacle horizontallythioiigh said opening, andadjustable means ior varying the size ot said opening. c

2li. ln a vending machine, the combination of a package receptacleprovided witlra discharge opening, ejecting mechanism Jfor dischargingpackages from the receptacle horizontally through said opening, a platehaving lower edge defining the upper edge of said opening, andineansii'or securingthe plate iii adj usted'position. p

25. ln la vending machine, means forming a package reservoir, saidreservoir having "a botton'iriliorming member providing a support ofless area than the cross sectional area of the reservoir whereby vthelowermost package in the reservoir is only partly supported and with oneedge part unsupported and cjecting mechaniin for moving the lowermostpackage in the` direction ol its unsupported part.

` 26. Ina vending machine, the combination' 2i. lnV a vendingmachine,paci-tage ejecting mechanism including a swinging menibei, mounted Iterreciprocatoi'y rocking movement,A manually l actuated means for swingingsaie member on its actuating stroke, and a packalgi-i engaginginemberpiv- -l mounted4 on the swii iig'ii'ieinber, a

otalll stop, said package engaging iiieinberpi'o vided with meansmovable into engagement with the stop on the il'etreat oi? said swingingniemberor setting the package engan meiiiber into a vertical position inrear oit the next package to be veiided.

2S. ln ajveiicline' machine 1iackao'c e`ectf :D i l n ing mechanism,including a swinging Y meniber, mounted for reciprocatory l rockingmovement, manually actuated means for c swinging said member jon itsactuating" stroke, a packa edge engagingmember pivotally mounted on theswinging member for movement about a horizontal axis7 said member beingmounted to cause the upperr portion to stand vertically when inoperative posiion at one side of and engaging avertioal edge of thepackage being ejected and adapted tofbe swung intoy position to clearthe packages in the stack when returning-011r its inoperative stroke.

29. In a package vending machine,r the combination of a horizontalsupport for packages to be `Jended, manually actuatedl ejectingmechanism including a swinging' plate,-and. normally verticallyl,disposed package engaging member pivoted to said plate for swingingmovement aboutfan axis at all timesdsposed above the support.

y30. In a package vending machine, the

disposed above the support, and said Weighted member havingan upperportion extendving above the support for a 'distance less than the depthof the packagey to be vended.

Signed at New York, in lthe County o New York and State of New York,this 21st day of Oct., A. D. 1925. l

vLiuanmv o, MANNING.

